The Dominion. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1918. GERMANY'S LATEST TUNE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 299, 6 September 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1918. GERMANY'S LATEST TUNE

Froji time .to time the German] Crown Prince is seized by an overmastering desire .to give the worlcl his views regarding the _waiy 01. some particular aspect of it, and so he permits himself to be interviewed. The narrowly-limited mental capacity of this very self-assertive young Houenzollekn is so well known that most of usare naturally inclined to brush aside his utterances with prompt contempt. But it is a mistake to think that the Crown Prince's remarks for publication have no significance. His words arc not _ always and altogether sheer silliness. The form of expression may bo his own, but it is fairly safe,to assume that the underlying ideas are more or less "inspired." He probably states the opinions generally held in the circle in which ho moves, or _he stresses some special point which, a| the moment, tho German Government desires to impress upon tho German .public, the Allies, or the neutral nations—or all three. It is not at all likely that the things which ho tells his interviewers are spontaneous and uncontrolled verbal outbursts. With all his crackbrained ways he isafter all the Kaiser's son and heir, and has the right to go behind the scones. When ho now declares that "Germany is carrying on defensive war," it is an admission that_ the Kaiser and his , military advisers realise that the German > offensive has finally broken down; that their last desperate rush for victory has failed—hopelessly failed. When he says: "We do not wish to destroy our enemies," it iB an admission that Prussian militarism is in serious danger of destruction by the enemies of Germany. When ho says: "For us, victory means only tho successful defence of the Fatherland," it is an admission that successful offence against tho liberties and territories of other nations 'is no longer possible. German ideas regarding the war liavo greatly changed sinco tho brilliant commencement and irresistible progress of Marshal Foch's counterstroke. When the German offensive was in full swing the Pan-Germiins cried out for. tho imposition of tho most merciless terms upon tho Allies. Take, for example, the following cmphatic declaration of the Koelnische Volkszciiung:

Nothing must bo given us a present to our enemies. It is self-cvi<lent that after what is now happening ws can no longer ooncludo pence on the terms which we were ready to accept a week ago. The enemy must he brought to a submissive spirit, and forced to grant everything that wo need in the world of the future, and not least in the domain of the colonies and the supply of raw materials. Then fcho Germans wcro . gloating over the fruits of victory; now they are trembling at the thought of impending defeat. Then they were reckoning how much thcy_ would seize; now they are wondoring how much they will be ablo to keep. But it should always bo remembered that public utterances like that just made by the Crown Prince form part of Germany's "psychological offensive." Tliey are intended, to' deceive or embarrass the Allies, to hoodwink neutrals, to steady the nerve of the German public, or in

some other way to score a poin Whatever the precise object may be in the present case, we may bo quite certain that the intention is to help Germany and to hurt the Allies. In view of the battering the German armies are now receiving \vc may take it for granted the Berlin authorities' arc endeavouring to create an atmosphere in the outside world favourable to Germany. They are posing beforo neutrals and pacifists as tho advocates of "sweet reasonableness," who only want to be allowed to live in pcaco. It is not easy to understand just what the Crown Prince' has in mind when he states that "the Americans do not know what they are fighting for." Perhaps this is meant to be conciliatory. _ Possibly ho wants to convey the impression that if the Americans only _ knew what a virtuous and inoffensive nation Germany is they would never have dreamed of fighting against her. It nmy be that he desires to impress' upon_ the Americans that they are sinning in ignorance, not in wilfulness. On _ the other hand the words may be intentionally insulting, or deliberately ambiguous. Tho Americans know exactly what they are doing and why they are it. They. have made their position so clear that no one outside a mental hospital, not even the German Crown Prince, can bo so unintelligent as to honestly misunderstand- it. 'But whether the Americans know what they are fighting for or not, Germany has learned by bitter, experience that they know how to fight, and that they have turned the scale with a hang against; the Central Powers. Tn January of the present year the Prussian Minister of Finance assured his fellow-countrymen that . "the great army over the water cannot swim and cannot fly." "It will not come," he said. But it has comc, and more of it is commcr every day. While America's fighting strength waxes daily, that ,of Germany is daily on the wane. The pretence that Amcrica did not count was kept up as lonfr as possible. As late as the beginning of July the Frankfurter Zciluvn endeavoured to cheer its readers by telling them that President Wilson was sendine an unorganised and unpractised 'mass, and proceeded to assert: 'lit took years before the Englishman was an c/fficicnt fighter, and tho Americans start with considerably i less favourable conditions." This

sort of argument is not quite so cheerful as it looks, for if the Germans coulcl not win before the Englishman became an "efficient (Miter," and before the Americans began to come, what possible hope can they have of winning now'! General von Arz expressed the opinion tlint the German submarines would be able to produce "disturbance and confusion in the transport dispositions of the American Army"; but in any case American help could not, provide "any sort of substitute for the loss of fcho masses of Russians." He went on to ask what in comparison with tho Russian hosts "are a million or a million and a, half of Americans unaccustomed to war, with short training and no experience, and with their elevated ideas- of living and total want of appreciation of the hardships of war." The hopes which were raised in tho hearts of the German people by this sort of foolish talk have been rudely shattered by the unanswerable logic of events. The Kaiser and his advisers can no longer conceal from the German people the truth about the tremendous and ever-increasing energy which America, has thrown into the struggle, and they have now''started a new tune.to suit the new eircumstanoes. They recently announced that they were willing to relinquish their grip on Belgium, and now they assure tho world in tones of injured innocence that the only victory they want is "the successful defence of the Fatherland." But this kind of diplomatic strategy will not succeed. If the Prussian military gang think they can save themselves from the punishment that awaits them by such obvious hypocrisies they must have a very poor idea of the intelligence of the f Allies.